'It's the highlight in Whitehaven': Memphis Christmas Parade returns this month
The Memphis Whitehaven Christmas Parade, one of the city's largest holiday parades, is returning after a two-year absence because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Long a holiday focal point in Whitehaven and a magnet for families, the parade steps off at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 19.
"It is the highlight in Whitehaven, but really the highlight of South Memphis," said Hazel Moore, a parade organizer who is informally known as the mayor of Whitehaven.
The parade started 26 years ago and is sponsored by the Academy for Youth Empowerment under the direction of Moore.
It will follow a route familiar to many longtime parade-goers. The parade begins at Southland Mall at Elvis Presley Blvd. and Shelby Drive before proceeding down Elvis Presley and ending at Laudeen Drive.
"The parade route is the exact same that it has been," said Freddy Mac, a promoter for the parade. "The biggest thing is reuniting the community. We have a lot of community partners, business partners, the City of Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee Valley Association, and a lot of companies who make this possible." Mac highlighted that the Academy for Youth Empowerment produces and sponsors this parade.
The parade was canceled in 2020 and 2021 because of the pandemic, WMC Action News 5 aired highlights of past parades in both years.
The event has expanded into a weekend-long "Winterfest," in partnership with Graceland. Starting the Friday before Thanksgiving, Elvis Presley Graceland kicks off the holiday season with the annual lighting ceremony. The next day, the community gathered along Elvis Presley Blvd. to watch the Memphis Whitehaven Christmas Parade and the weekend culminates with the Songs of the Season concert on Sunday.
Gina Butkovich covers DeSoto County, storytelling and general news. She can be reached at 901-232-6714 or on Twitter @gigibutko.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis Whitehaven Christmas Parade returning this month
